Machine for folding leather.



A. L.l LILLEY.

MACHINE' FOR. FOLDING LEATHER. APPLIGATION F1L1111'1AN-10, 1914.

1,103,972. Patented July 21, 1914J 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1HE NoRRls Psfsns'co., wAsmNcToN, u. c.

A. L; LILLE-Y.

` MACHINE FOR. FOLDING LEATHER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 1o, 1914.

.Patented July 21, 1914J 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1HE NaRRls PErsRsnn, wAsHlNamN. n. r:A

A. L. LILLEY.

MACHINE FOR FOLDING LEATHER.

APPLIoA-TION FILED JAN.1o, '1914.

1,103,972, Patented July 21, 1914,

. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

fia?,

1HE NoRms PETERS co4. wAsHlNaroN, 17A c.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1914.

A. L. LILLEY.

MAcHgNE PoR FOLDING LEATHER.

Patented July 21, 1914.

narran srATns PATENT onrrcn.

ALFRED L. IJILLEY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SMITH- WORTI-IINGTON COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORlfl0-ll 0F CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR FOLDING LEATHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. January 10, 1914. Serial No. 811,372.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED L. LILLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the County of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Folding Leather, of which the following is a specification.

Certain harness parts when finished are circular in cross-section, such for instance as the braces which hold the winkers in position. During manufacture the leather strips for such parts are creased and folded and after being rounded about cores are stitched so they will retain their shape.

The present invention relates to a machine that is designed to crease and fold those strips of leather which are to be` made into such round harness parts..

As leather varies in thickness; isnot easily folded; does not remain in a folded condition; and is slippery and hard to handle, it must be carefully manipulated otherwise the resulting straps will not be uniform and will vary in diameter.

The object of this invention is to provide a machine in which strips of leather designed to be made up into rounded harness parts, may be placed and first have the edges folded up and gripped so that the leather will not become dislocated, and then have the edges folded over in such manner that the resulting pieces will be uniformly pressed and folded in suitable condition for further manipulation.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a plan of the machine. Fig. 2 shows an end elevation. Fig. 3 shows a front elevation of one end. Fig. 4L shows a vertical section taken on the plane indicated by the dotted line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the folding parts in the first position, showing a piece of leather as when first placed in position on the bed between the gage plates and aboutto be folded. Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the parts in the second position, that is, after the sides of thel leather strip have been turned up. Fig. 7 is a similar view with the parts in the third position, that is, with the sides of the leather clamped and the edges turned a little toward each other. Fig. 8 is a similar view with theparts in the fourth position, that is, with the fold completed.

The bed in this machine is a long narrow bar 1 which extends from end to end of the frame. On this bed is a metal pad 2 which has a longitudinally extending ribk 3 that forms a retaining guide and produces a central score in the strip of leather 4 which is to be'folded. The bed is mounted on the upper end of posts 5 which extend down through the table 6 and are fastened to a bar 7 that is normally held up by springs 8 at each end of the machine. The ends of the bar 7 are guided in opening through. Ibrackets 9 that project` downward from the underside of the table near each end of the ma chine. When the platen is depressed and forces the strip of leather down between the folders the springs 8 yield and when the platen is raised these springs lift the bed and the folded strap up from between the folders.

The platen 10 is a plate arranged edgewise vertically with its ends connected with cross heads 11 that at each end of the machine are movable vertically between the brackets 12 mounted on the table. The cross heads 11 are fastened to the upper ends of rods 13 ythat at their lower ends are fastened to cross heads 14. These lower cross heads are held lifted by springs 15 at each endy of the machine. The lower cross heads 14 are connected by bars 16 at each end of the machine with a rod 17 that extends across the machine. This rod is designed to be connected by a wire 18 with a treadle or other means for pulling it down. When the rod 17 is pulled down the platen 10 is brought down onto the leather strip. which is placed on the yielding bed and the strip and the bed are forced down between the folders. When the rod 17 is released the springs 15 raise the platen.

The strip of leather to be folded is placed kon the bed and a strip 19 is placed upon it to form the mandrel or core about which it is to be bent. Gage plates 2O are arranged across the machine for correctly locating the strip upon the bed. These gage plates near each end are provided with slots 21 through which screws 22 pass to the plates 23, which latter plates act as the first folders and turn lup the edges of the leather as it is forced down between them. The ends of the plates. 23 extend into grooves in thev innerl faces ofl the brackets l2 at each end off the machine. These plates are drawn out horizontally toward the front andvback by springs 26 connected between them and brackets that are fastened to the front and back of the frame at each end. Stop screws 24 are threaded through the brackets for the purposeof limiting the outward movement of they plates 23 and for adjusting'them inward to the necessary position to effect the required fold. The plates 23 are adjusted inward with relation not only to the width of the strip but also with relation to the thickness of the leather, and the gage plates 20 are adjusted on the platesf'23 with relation to the width of the leather strip.

When the platen forces the leather strip with the core and bed down from the position shown in Fig. 5, between the first folding plates 23, the edges of the strip are turned up as shown in Fig. 6.v Then in order to hold the leather and start its fold dles 32.

about the core the plates 27 which extend across the machine on top of the table are moved up. The plates 27 have along their upper edges lips 28 that pinch the leather over the corners of the core and at their ends have lugs 29 which extend through the brackets l2 on the top of the table. The

lugs 29 are engaged by nuts 30 that are on the right and left hand threaded screws 31, which are mounted in brackets at the ends of the machine and are provided with han- By turning these handles the clamp' plat-es 27 may be moved toward each other for gripping the leather asshown in Fig. 7, or may be withdrawn so as to release the leather. After the leather has been gripped by the clamp plates the upper edges are folded over the core by the movable folding plates 33, as shown in Fig. 8. These plates 33 extend acrossthe machine between the stationary first folding plates 23 and the clamp plates 27 and are movable toward and from-each other between these parts. Near v each end of themachine these movable folding plates are connected by links 34 with `the short upper arms of levers 35 which are pivoted to brackets 36 that extend outward from the table.' The lower long rarms of these` levers are connected with toggle arms 37. These toggle arms are hinged together by a rod 38 that extends lengthwise of the machine through the guide-ways in the brackets 9 which depend from the table. Springs 39 tend to lift the toggle arms and bring the lower long arms of the levers toward each other. A wire 4l() is designed to connect the bar 38 with a treadle or otherv suitable means for depressing the bar. When the bar 38 is pulled down the toggle arms are forced down and straightened. This movement spreads the lower ends of the lethe stationary lclamp plates.

With this machine a strip of leather of anyk desired length, width and thickness within the limits o f the machine may be accurately located onv the bed and by the depression of `the platen have its edges folded up and then by the inward movement of the folders have its edges folded over with sutlicient force to cause the leather to be bent into and remain in a shape which approximates that inv which it is to be finally used.

The invention claimed is:y l

l. A machine yfor folding leather having a yielding .bed for supporting the leather, stationary folders, a platen for forcing the leather and the bed down between the stationary folders, clamps for holding the leather on the bed after it has been'forced down betweenfthe stationary folders, land movable folders for folding the edges of the leather toward each other. x 2. A machine for folding leather having a yielding bed, a scoring and locating rib extending upwardly along the bed, station- .the stationary folders, clamps for holding the leather on thefbed after it has been forceddown, and movable' folders for folding the edges of the clamped leather toward each other. Y

4. A machine for folding leather having a yielding bed, stationary folders, means for adjusting the space vbetweenthe stationary folders, gage plates adjustably mounted on and movable with the stationary folders, a

folders, clamp plates for holding the leather and the bed downward, and movable folders `for folding the edges of the clamped leather toward each other.

5. A machine for folding leather having a yielding bed, adjustably mounted stationaryl folders, movable' clamp plates, movable folders between the stationary folders and the clamp plates, and a platen adapted to force the leather and thebed down betweenv folders, movable folders and `platen for forcing the leather from between the gage plates down between the stationary (5. A machine for folding leather' having a yielding bed, stationary folders, a platen adapted to force the leather and the bed down betweenv the stationary folders, movable folders, and levers and toggle links for forcing the movable folders toward each other.

7. A machine for folding leather having a table, clamp plates movably mounted on the table, screws for. moving the Clamp plates toward and from each other, folders movable above the clamp plates, toggle links and levers for moving the folders toward and from each other, stationary folders Copies of this patent may be obtained for mounted above the movable folders, means for adjusting the stationary folders toward and from each other, gage plates mounted on the stationary folders, means for adjusting the gage plates, a yieldinoV bed movable up and down between the folding and clamp plates, a platen movable up and down between the folding plates, and means for raising and lowering the platen.

ALFRED L. LILLEY.

Witnesses:

HARRY R. WILLIAMS, JosErHlNE M. STREMPFER.

ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patenti,

Washington, D. C. 

